Eleanor V. Fails

Eleanor V. Fails went home to God on September 17, 2015. Eleanor was the beloved daughter of Bill and Eileen (Dillon) Fails, who preceded her in death. Eleanor was born on July 25, 1930, and grew up in Anderson, Indiana. She attended St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, graduating in 1952. That year she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Her religious name was Sister Christopher Marie. Eleanor earned a Masters in Theatre Arts from the University of Notre Dame; her second Masters and Ph.D. in Sociology were earned at Loyola University of Chicago. Eleanor taught in parochial schools in the East and Midwest while completing graduate course work.

In 1971, she was called to a new ministry in Pittsburgh, PA, where she was hired by Duquesne University as an Assistant Professor of Sociology. Through the years she was promoted through the ranks to full professor. Her areas of expertise were sociological theory, the changing role of women, particularly in the political arena, and the social and public policy implications connected with the changing concept of family in America. She chaired the Sociology Department from 1986 to 1992. She was also Director of the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy at Duquesne, a research oriented interdisciplinary program combining the graduate faculties of the departments of Sociology and Political Science. She worked on and chaired numerous committees during her 21 year tenure in the Sociology Department and was active in the University’s Faculty Senate. She was a grantee of the Everett Dirksen Congressional Foundation conducting comparative research in role perceptions among Congresswomen between 1950 and 1970 and 1990. In 1979-80 Eleanor collaborated in the planning and implementation of an Associate Degree Program for neighborhood women from Pittsburgh’s South Side. This was the first such degree offered by Duquesne University. For this program she and her colleagues experimented successfully with reviving the role of itinerant teacher, conducting on-site classes on the South Side. She was known for her innovative teaching style and in 1988 published an article for the journal Teaching Sociology on her experimental strategy of teaching sociological theory with the use of movie videos. In 1992 she retired and was granted emeritus status. Following retirement she and her long-time friend and Mishawaka native, Mary Stoeckinger, moved to South Bend, Indiana to spend their retirement years with family and friends. Mary preceded Eleanor in death on October 17, 2012. For the last several years, Eleanor has been a resident at Andre Place, an independent living facility in the retirement community of Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Although Eleanor was an only child, her love for people, coupled with a dynamic and engaging personality, resulted in Eleanor accumulating numerous friends throughout her lifetime. She considered all them her “family.” Through her longstanding friendship with Mary Stoeckinger, she became a second sister to Bill Stoeckinger, and was “Aunt Eleanor” to Mary’s nieces and nephews: Joyce (Tom) McFadden, Carol (Pat) Fahey, Louanne (John) Bilancio, Marianne “Mimi” (Joe) Norris and Peter Stoeckinger, and served as a surrogate grandmother to their children and grandchildren. From her years with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Eleanor made many lasting friendships, including her dear friends, Patricia Lawrence and Ann Bleakley, Sisters Rose Anne, Agnes Ann, and many other Holy Cross Sisters too numerous to mention. During her 21 years in Pittsburgh she became and maintained to her dying day close friendships with Fran Antolini, Barbara Goett, Kathleen Fletcher, and Rich and Kathy Jucha. After arriving in South Bend for their retirement, Mary and Eleanor made many new friendships in the South Bend/Mishawaka community, many of whom now reside at Holy Cross Village, including her special friend, Peter Petros. In her later years, Eleanor became friends with her two caregivers, Bertha and Tonya and Tonya’s daughters, Trinity and Tijera. Eleanor will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Eleanor was a marvelous storyteller and party-giver, legendary for her talents as a “mixologist” of fine cocktails and beverages. Eleanor enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Europe. She thoroughly enjoyed fine dining with excellent conversation, great music, and the theater. Eleanor would be the first to tell you that she lead a “charmed life.” And she truly did.

Even though Eleanor was no longer a religious in the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, she remained deeply committed to her Catholic faith. Eleanor’s Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 10:30 am in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto on the campus of St. Mary’s College. Rev. Paul Doyle, C.S.C., will be the celebrant. Burial will follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery. A visitation will take place prior to the funeral mass, from 9:30 to 10:30 am.

Memorials are suggested to Ministry With The Poor of the Sisters of the Holy Cross or a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements are under the care of Goethals & Wells Funeral Home, Mishawaka.

An online guest book is available at www.goethalswells.com.